Improvement in car-couplings



M. L. MATHIAS. CAR-COUPLING.

ASHINGTUN. D. C.

STATES PATENT TOT-Fica MARTIN L. MATHIAS, OF HILLIARD, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 189,050. dated April 3,1877; application led February 14, 1877.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MARTrN L. MATHIAs, ofHilliard, in the county of Franklin and State of Ohio, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplings; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

Ihe nature of my invention consists in the construction and arrangementof a car-coupling, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to which my inventionappertains to make and use the same, I will now proceed to describe itsconstruction and operation, referring to the annexeddrawing, in which-Figure l is a side elevation, partly in section. Fig. 2 is a rearelevation. Fig. 3 is a bottom view.

A represents a railroad-car of any suitable construction. B is thedraw-bar, attached to the sa'me in any ofthe known and usual ways, thefront end thereof forming the draw-head C, and on one side of saiddraw-head is formed a chamber, D. The draw-head O and chamber D are bothopen at the top and bottom,as shown, and in the chamber D is pivoted thecoupling-bar G, the iront end of which forms an upwardly and rearwardlybent hook, a. rIhe rear end of the coupling-bar D is provided with aweight, E, for holding the hook aat the front end thereof up to itswork. In the lower portion of the draw-head O, near the front end, is ahorizontal pin, b, permanently attached in the sides of the draw-head.At the extreme front end, at the top of the draw-head, is hinged a gate,d, which hangs downward, and when swung backward a short distance itslower edge strikes the stationary in b. P When two cars are broughttogether to be coupled, the coupling-bar Gr of each car strikes the gated of the opposite draw-head, and pushes the same against the pin b, saidgate then forming an inclined guide to conduct the hook a downward belowthe pin b, and as soon as the end of said hook passes beyond the pin theWeight E at once raises said hook,

so that it will catch on the pin, and thus couple the cars, the weightholding the -hook to its place.

For the purpose of uncoupling the cars, a lever, H, is pivoted in` a boxor upward extension, I, ofthe drawfhead, and this lever is, by a cord,chain, or rod, e, connected with the rear or inner end of thecoupling-bar G, in

such a manner that by raising the outer or' longer end of the lever theinner weighted end of the coupling-bar will be lifted, and the outer orfront end depressed, so that the hook a will be clear from the pin b.The other end of the lever H is connected to a movable foot, J, withinthe draw-head (J, which, by operating the lever as above described, ispressed downward on the hook of the coupling-bar from the adjacent car,and forces the same down below the pin b, Vso that by the operation ofthe lever H on one car only both hooks are released.

The lever H projects beyond the side of the car, so that the operatorneednot go in between the cars to uncouple the same. A rod, L, extendsfrom said lever to and above the top of the car, for the purpose ofuncoupling from the top, if desired.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the draw-head C, with stationary horizontal pin b,the chamber D, and the coupling-bar Gr, provided at its front end withthe upwardly-bent hook a, and at the rear end withl the weight E,substantially as and for the. purposes herein set'forth.

2. The swinging gate d, in combination with the draw-head O and pin b,to form an inclined guide for the coupling-bar, as herein set forth.

3. The combination of' the hooked and weighted coupling-bar G,connection e, lever H, with rod L, and the movable foot J, allsubstantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

' In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

MARTIN L. MATHIAS.

